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27-28 March 2015

Sponsors

The Cook-Cole College of Arts and Sciences
Office of the Longwood Vice-President/Provost
Department of English and Modern Languages
Department of History, Political Science, and Philosophy
Longwood Chapter of Lambda Iota Tau
Longwood History Club

Welcome to the Ninth Annual Longwood University Undergraduate Medieval Conference. The conference theme of "Meeting in the Middle" highlights the growing place of Longwood and Farmville as a hub of Medieval Studies. Not only have faculty and library resources been augmented of late, but Farmville itself is central to a growing web of medievalists in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland. In recent years, it has been our pleasure to see participants from almost the whole of the Atlantic coast. For that reason, we welcome back all of our friends who joined us last year, along with new attendees to a buffet of scholarship and collegial rejuvenation.

This year's papers will coalesce around the theme of "Out of Bounds: Defying Medieval Norms." We invite the best undergraduate scholarship of our region to come and nuance, overthrow, perhaps even confirm our theme. Further details on proposing a paper topic are available in our Call for Papers. In addition, we continue to welcome still more disciplines to the conference. Thus, this year's conference will also feature music, drama, art, and military technology.

Our plenary speakers highlight the diversity of medieval studies in the United States, as we draw upon the resources of our region and beyond. Joining us in 2015 will be Dr. Asa Mittman of Chico State University, a specialist in Anglo-Saxon art, monsters, and medieval portrayals of Jews. Our other "boundary-pusher" will be Dr. Stephen Morillo, a military and cultural historian who has been looking at exceptions to the norms in comparative global contexts as well as medieval specifics like the Battle of Hastings.

This year's conference will also have the third competition for the best student paper. The Abels-Johnson Award for Excellence is named for the two scholars who gave us examples of their own outstanding scholarship at the first of these conferences, back in 2007: Richard Abels of the United States Naval Academy and David Johnson of Florida State University. Interested students should contact either of the conference organizers so as to submit their manuscript in advance of the conference. The award will be announced on the Saturday of the conference after being judged by one of the plenary speakers.

All of the panels on Friday and Saturday will be held in the Nance Room of the Dorrill Dining Hall, with registration taking place in the foyer of the Nance Room. Often called the D-Hall, the Dorrill Building is building #28 on the campus map, nearly at the very center of campus. Parking for the entire conference has been reserved in the Brock Commons Parking Garage (in the slots marked for visitors), which is located at #48 on the campus map. It can be approached from either the east or west on Bedford St. There will be directional signs to assist you in locating the parking lot and the meeting facilities.

The links to the left should take you to all the information you might need concerning the conference, lodgings, directions, and such. If, however, we have managed not to cover something you are curious about, please write either of the Conference Directors, Larissa Tracy and Steven Isaac, who will respond shortly.